1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a barrier for appliances and the like and more particularly to such a barrier which is principally adapted to protect children from injury by contact with the heated surfaces of appliances such as cooking ranges, wood burning stoves, and a variety of other appliances which cannot, as a practical matter, be monitored at all times when in operation or when otherwise hot and therefore are accessible to small children.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The protection of small children from inadvertent injury by contact with the heated surfaces of cooking ranges, stoves and the like has long been a concern of parents and other responsible adults. Unfortunately, this concern has not resulted in the development of a practical solution to the problem although a multitude of prior art efforts have focused on developing just such a solution. The problem is particularly acute in the case of cooking ranges, not only due to the presence of hot electrical or gas burners on the upper surfaces of the ranges, but also because of the presence of cooking utensils such as pots or pans left unattended on the burners and containing very hot substances and, in particular, very hot or boiling fluids. The handles of such utensils constitute an attraction to young children and may be within their grasp with or without the use of a stool, chair or other readily available object. The hazard of children pulling such substances onto them resulting in severe injury or even death is a concern not heretofore met in a satisfactory fashion by prior art devices.
Such prior art devices are characterized by a variety of walls, shields, and the like which attach to the appliances to form a shield against the natural curiosity exhibited by small children. Unfortunately, such devices themselves become heated by the proximity to the heating surfaces and therefore become a hazard to children which is even more accessible. Such prior art efforts are additionally characterized by complex methods for installation. These include the use of adhesives, which can deteriorate in the presence of heat; magnets, which can be pulled loose from magnetic engagement by the hands of such children and therefore in themselves become hazardous; and devices which require being screwed or bolted on a range top which makes them not only inconvenient to install but leaves highly visible traces including bolt holes and mars which are unsightly when the device is removed, such as after the children have matured.
A similar hazard exists in the case of such appliances as wood burning stoves which have become particularly popular as an effective source of heat as well as for aesthetic reasons. One of the benefits of such heating devices is that all or substantially a portion of the exposed metal surfaces of such devices become heated to the point that they liberate heat energy into the room rapidly and efficiently. However, those same metal surfaces are exposed to inadvertent contact by children, adults and animals and serious injury resulting therefrom is known to occur. Conventional construction calls for such stoves to be mounted on a heat resistant surface and, where adjacent to a wall, to have a heat resistant surface covering the adjacent portions of the wall. Many fire codes require such construction, but no practical device has been developed to protect the occupants of the room from injury as a result of inadvertent contact with the stove.
Therefore, it has long been known that it would be desirable to have a barrier for appliances and the like which possesses a flexibility of use having application to virtually all types of such appliances and the like where such hazards are present; which can securely be attached in position on or near the appliances without complex or permanent damage to the appliances; which operates to insulate itself from becoming heated to a degree which would be injurious in contact therewith; which, in the case of appliances such as cooking ranges, operates to dissipate unwanted heat; and, which in the case of heating devices such as stoves operates to permit the transmission of the heat therethrough to adjacent areas for warmth.